Copper-lead alloy.



' degrees of hardness and can,.consequently,

STATES rAan Ni nnnon EDWARD J). GLEASON, or ASIBURY PARK, New JERSEY, ASSIGIN'OR T NEW-METALS, AND rnoonss COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION. OF NEW YORK.

COPPER-LEAD ALLOY.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. GLEAsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Asbury Park, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Copper-Lead Alloys, whereof the following is a specification.

Alloys of equal parts of copper and lead maybe advantageously employedin bearings because of their plasticity, durability and extremely low coeflicient of friction. However, owing to the difference in the melting points and specific gravity of said two metals, such alloys, as ordinarily composed, sweat and segregate in cooling from fusing temperature; so that castings thereof are always more or less irregular in com osition and consequently incapable of uni orm resistance and wear. Numerous attempts have been-made to overcome the difliculties aforesaid, by means dependent upon sudden setting of the alloys and, although such attempts have been more or less successful, such alloys made under the most favorable conditions are only .mechanical mixtures wherein the copper in a more or less finely divided state is suspended in a matrix of lead; so that they cannot, under any circumstances, be successfullypoured like Babbitt metal or other socalled anti-friction metals, because their capacityto set in an abnormally short time does not permit them to flow into small interstices. I

Therefore, it is the object of my invention to provide a copper lead alloy which is not a merely mechanical mixture-but a homo geneous composition which. will set slowly-- without segregating or sweating and therefore may be used in lieu of Babbitt or other 40 antifriction metal. Moreover, as hereinafter described, my alloy can .be-m'ade in different lastic be employed as a substitute for and bronze, having such resistance to shoe compression as to adapt it for use in bearing boxes for railroad car axles. For instance, my improved alloy containing 60. parts of copper and 40 parts of lead has about the same degree of hardness, by Brinnell test,

' as a plastic bronze containing parts copper, 5 parts 'tin, and 40 parts lead, and will withstand the same tensilestress. -Moreover,

my improved alloy containing parts copper and 30 parts lead is substantially equal 55 in physical characteristics to a bronze con- 9 Specification of Letters Patent.

heating them in the presence of carbon, and the aggregate thereof added to the mixture Patented May as, 191a.

- Application filed May 17, 1915. Serial No. 28,574.

taining 65 parts copper, 10 parts tin, and 25 parts lead but has better wearing qualities, when employed as an antifriction bearing, for the reason that the loss of metal by wear. under given, conditions, diminishes with the diminution of tin and increase of lead.

An alloy may. be conveniently produced in accordance with my invention as follows In a graphite crucible, I fuse 50 parts of copper and, while maintaining it at a temperature above its fusing point, gradually add 50 parts of lead and, when the mixture is liquid throughout its mass,l adda mixture of 3 parts of the native fluorid-ofsodium and aluminum known as cryolite, and 2 parts manganese oxid. Said oxid'is previously reduced by reaction with the fluorin, sodium and aluminum of the cryolite by of copper and lead aforesaid is 5 per cent., by weight. I then cover the entire fused mass in the crucible with a layer of charcoal and when said mass is thoroughly mixed, it may be poured, into pigs, for remelting, ordirectly into sand molds for castings.

The natural fluorid of sodium and aluminum aforesaid Varies somewhat in composition; for instancee, it may accord with the formula N-a AlF or the formula 3NaFAlF the -latter corresponding to fluorin 54.4, sodium 32.8, and aluminum 12.8 per cent; or, the formula Al F 'tiNaF, corresponding to aluminum 13, sodium 32.8, and fluorin 54.2 per cent; or, if what is termed pure cryolite it may contain aluminum 13.0, sodium 32.5, and fluorin 54.5, or otherwise, aluminum fluorid 40.25 and sodium fluorid 59.75. Q

Of'course, it is unnecessary that the fluorin,

sodium and aluminum required for my alloy shall be directly derived from cryohte;

and I may reduce the manganese oxid d1-- rectly, in the presence of carbon, with the molten copper, before addmg lead', and,

after adding the lead, then add the fluorin,

sodium and aluminum.

Of course, in such reduction there ls more or less waste, and such loss may be as much Therefore, I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of procedure or to the specific proportions of materials above set forth, as various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essen tial features of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim v i 1. The process of making a composition consisting principally of copper and lead; which consists in mixing, at fusing temperature, copper, lead, a manganese derivative, and cryolite.

2. The process of making a composition consisting principally of copper and lead; which consists in mixing, at fusing temperature, copper, lead, a manganese derivative and fluorid of sodium and aluminum.

3. The process of making-a composition consisting principally of copper and lead; which consists in reducing manganese oxid by fusing the same with cryolite inthe presence of carbon, and adding that composition to a fused mixture of copper and lead.

4. The process of making a composition consisting principally of copper and lead;

maintaining it at a temperature above its which consists in reducing manganese oxid by fusing the same with fiuorid of sodium and aluminum, in the presence of carbon, and adding that composition to a fused mixture of copper and lead.

5. The process of making a composition consisting principally of copper and lead;

which consists in fusing copper and, while fusing point, gradually adding an equal quantity, of lead and, when the mixture is liquid throughout its mass, adding a mixture formed by fusing three per cent. of

fusing point, gradually adding an equal,

quantity of lead and, when the mixture is liquid throughout its mass, adding a mixture formed by fusing three per cent. of fiuorid of sodium and aluminum and two per cent. of manganese oxid.

7. The process of making a composition consisting principally of copper and lead; which consists in mixing, at fusing temperature, copper, lead, a manganese derivative, and a fluorin derivative.

8. The process of making a composition consisting principally 'of copper and lead; which consists in fusing copper and, while maintaining it at fusing temperature, adding lead and, When the mixture is liquid, adding a mixture formed by fusing fluorid of sodium and aluminum and manganese oxid. J I

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Asbury Park, New Jersey, this sixth day of May, 1915. V

J. G. CoLEMAiI, ET'HEL MA'rrsoN. 

